Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2023-06-02 Origin: Site
Have you ever watched someone play guitar and wished you could do the same? Their fingers move so fast on the fretboard, producing smooth and clear notes. You admire their skill and want to learn how to do it. But when you try to practice yourself, you find that your fingers are not flexible enough, your notes are not accurate enough, and sometimes you even get stuck or go out of tune. You feel frustrated and wonder how to improve your speed and accuracy.
The truth is, improving your guitar playing speed and accuracy is not hard, as long as you know some proper methods and practice them consistently. You can gradually improve your level and enjoy the fun of playing guitar. In this article, I will share with you some secrets of guitar practice that will help you play faster and more accurately.
The first thing you need to do is to master the correct posture and hand position for holding and playing the guitar. This is the foundation of improving your speed and accuracy. If your posture and hand position are wrong, you will not only affect your playing performance, but also risk hurting your fingers, wrists, or arms. Here are some basic principles:
Posture: You should place the lower curve of the guitar on your right thigh (or left thigh if you are left-handed), the upper curve of the back of the guitar on your chest, and the upper curve of the front of the guitar under your right elbow. This will make the guitar stable on your body, without wobbling or sliding off, and also allow your right hand to pluck the strings naturally and your left hand to press the strings freely.
Left hand position: You should align the tips of your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger together, keeping them close to each other without spreading too much. This will make it easier for your fingers to find the strings and also increase your finger span. Also, you should extend your thumb beyond the other three fingers and place it on the back of the neck, not on the side or the top. This will give you more strength and flexibility in your left hand, and also prevent your thumb from touching the strings or blocking your view.
Right hand position: You should assign your thumb to the bass part of the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings, your index finger to the 3rd string, your middle finger to the 2nd string, and your ring finger to the 1st string. When you pluck the strings, you should use the base of your fingers, not your nails, and avoid hitting the adjacent strings. You should keep your right wrist relaxed and curl your fingers and palm slightly inward. When you play arpeggios, you should alternate your index and middle fingers to pluck the strings, not use the same finger twice in a row. When you strum the strings, you should use your thumb to sweep downward or your index finger to sweep upward, with even force and correct rhythm.
The second thing you need to do is to practice basic skills and scales, which are the core of improving your speed and accuracy. Basic skills and scales can train your coordination, flexibility, pitch, and rhythm, and also familiarize you with the range and tone of the guitar, preparing you for playing various genres and techniques. Here are some common practice methods:
Climbing frets: This is the most classic and effective basic skill practice, which can make your left hand fingers gradually adapt to the fretboard and strings, and also make your right hand plucking more accurate. Climbing frets is very simple, just press your index finger on the 1st fret of the 6th string, your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 6th string, your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string, and your pinky finger on the 4th fret of the 6th string, then use your right hand to pluck these four notes in order. Then switch to the 5th string and repeat the same action until you reach the 1st string. Then start from the 1st string and reverse back to the 6th string. You can climb in the order of 1-2-3-4, or in other orders, such as 1-3-2-4, 2-4-1-3, etc., to increase the difficulty and variation. When climbing frets, you need to pay attention to the following points:
You need to turn on the metronome, start from a slow speed, and play one note per beat, keeping the rhythm stable and accurate. When you can climb smoothly for one round, then gradually increase the speed until you reach your limit.
You need to maintain the correct left hand position, keep your fingers low without using too much force, just enough to make the strings touch the fretboard. You need to pay attention to the way your fingers press the strings, using the pads of your fingers, not your joints or nails.
You need to pay attention to the “retained fingers” and “prepared fingers” of your left hand. When climbing upward, you need to retain your fingers, that is, when your middle finger presses the string, your index finger does not lift off and leave, and so on for the other fingers. This will make your fingers more stable and also save time for moving. When climbing downward, you need to prepare your fingers, that is, when your pinky finger presses the string, your ring finger also falls on the string fret at the same time, ready for the next note, and so on for the other fingers. This will make your fingers more flexible and also improve your reaction speed.
You need to pay attention to the synchronization of your left and right hands. If your right hand plucks the string before your left hand falls on it, the sound will not be clear; if your left hand falls on the string before your right hand plucks it, your left hand will make a “hitting” sound. These are all noises and are undesirable. Therefore, synchronization means that your left hand falls on the string at the same time as your right hand plucks it. Every note is like this.
Scales: These are the most basic and important musical elements, which can help you understand the range and tone of the guitar, and also help you master the basics of various genres and techniques. There are many types of scales, such as pentatonic scales, heptatonic scales, octave scales, quintal scales, etc., each with its own characteristics and uses. You can start with the simplest pentatonic scale, learn its composition and fingering, then use your right hand to pluck the strings or use your thumb to pick the strings, paying attention to the clarity and continuity of each note. Then you can learn other scales, such as heptatonic scales, which are the basis of many pop and rock songs. You can learn their composition and fingering, then use your right hand to alternate your index and middle fingers to pluck the strings or strum the strings, paying attention to the force and rhythm of each note. You can also learn other scales, such as octave scales and quintal scales, which are the basis of many jazz and metal songs. You can learn their composition and fingering,undesirable. Therefore, synchronization means that your left hand falls on the string at the same time as your right hand plucks it. Every note is like this.
You need to pay attention to the variation and application of scales. You don’t want to just repeat a scale mechanically, but learn how to add some variation to it, such as slides, bends, vibratos, hammer-ons, etc., to make your scale more expressive and personal. You also want to learn how to use scales in different genres and techniques, such as playing melodies in pop songs with heptatonic scales, playing riffs in rock songs with octave scales, playing improvisations in jazz songs with quintal scales, etc., to make your playing more stylish and professional.
The last thing you need to do is to imitate and create, which are the goals of improving your speed and accuracy. Imitating and creating can help you learn from and emulate other guitarists’ experiences and skills, and also help you unleash your imagination and creativity, expressing your emotions and thoughts. Here are some practical methods:
Imitate: You can choose some guitar songs that you like or want to learn, such as the classics “Yesterday”, “Eruption”, “Flight of the Bumblebee”, etc., or some popular ones “See You Again”, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “Ten Years”, etc., or some challenging ones “Gurenge”, “Through the Fire and Flames”, “Crazy Train”, etc. You can first listen to the original versions of these songs, feel their style and atmosphere, then find their guitar tabs, and play them according to the fingering and notation on the tabs, paying attention to the accuracy and continuity of each note, the details and effects of each technique, the rhythm and change of each section. You can start from simple songs and gradually increase the difficulty until you can play a whole song completely. You can also refer to some videos of excellent guitarists playing these songs, observe their posture and hand position, learn their techniques and performance, imitate their style and emotion.
Create: You can create some guitar songs of your own based on your preferences or inspiration, such as some simple sing-along songs, some fun improvisations, some complex solo songs, etc. You can first decide on a theme or a mood, then choose a suitable scale or chord to play, paying attention to the tone and change of each note, the use and effect of each technique, the structure and transition of each section. You can start from short songs and gradually extend the time until you can create a whole song. You can also refer to some classic or popular guitar songs, borrow their elements and features, adapt or mix them, create your own style and characteristics.
These are the secrets of guitar practice that I want to share with you: how to improve your speed and accuracy on the guitar. I hope they can help you achieve your guitar goals and have fun playing guitar. If you want to learn more about guitar playing and get more tips and tricks, you can check out my guitar website, where I share my knowledge and experience with you. You can also subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest updates and offers. Thank you for reading and happy playing!
